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PET/CT was able to detect 12 cases of bone metastases of breast cancer that were either negative or equivocal on bone scintigraphy, a study showed. PET/CT also was able to determine nonbone metastases, suggesting that additional imaging tests might no longer be required when using this method.

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PET/MRI better identified liver and bone metastases in breast cancer patients, compared with PET/CT, according to a study published in Radiology. However, PET/CT did have an advantage for detecting lung metastases, the authors noted.

A study in the journal Theranostics found that whole-body PET/CT imaging may help doctors make breast cancer treatment decisions without the need for biopsies from the liver, bones and other tissue. Researchers were able to measure expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 in 16 women being treated for metastatic breast cancer using PET/CT scans. Expression of HER2 was often different in breast lesions and distant metastases, and the findings influenced treatment decisions in several cases.

A study published in the Annals of Oncology reported that PET/CT using 18F-labeled sodium fluoride is more sensitive at detecting bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma than conventional bone scintigraphy or CT. The study looked at 77 malignant lesions in 10 patients, and 18F-NaF PET/CT was able to detect all of them, whereas bone scintigraphy/SPECT and CT identified 29% and 46% of lesions, respectively.

PET/CT with 18F-FDG showed 20% higher accuracy than contrast-enhanced CT alone in identifying bone or soft tissue sarcoma, according to a study in the journal Cancer. PET/CT had 100% sensitivity and specificity in detecting bone metastases, the study found. The combined modality also showed higher sensitivity in detecting local recurrence or soft tissue lesions.

Researchers at last week's American Society of Clinical Oncology Breast Cancer Symposium reported that in breast cancer patients with bone metastases, higher standardized uptake values on PET/CT scans could indicate greater risk of death. Prognostication for metastatic breast cancer has been difficult, but modern PET/CT may serve as a "complementary and clinically useful prognostic tool," said researcher Dr. Komal Jhaveri from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.